DICT, DOST-ASTI, among other government and partner agency officials pose with the ISOC-donated equipment

Attended by key officials from DICT, DOST-ASTI, Department of Science and Technology, among other government and partner agencies, the ceremonial turnover of an Internet Society (ISOC)- donated network equipment opened opportunities for the audience to know more about the government’s efforts in promoting developments of Internet Exchange Points (IXP).

According to ISOC, the donation came after the numerous engagements of DICT and DOST-ASTI with the Philippine Network Operators Group (PhNOG), recognizing that PhOpenIX is managed and operated as a critical advocacy work by the government.

The Internet Society - Asia Pacific has been actively engaging various organizations including the Philippine Government through specialized campaigns in promoting the development of the Internet. ISOC has also been in constant collaboration with DICT on the front of Internet Governance and have already co-hosted numerous engagements over the years. The ISOC-network equipment donation will be utilized within the Philippine Open Internet Exchange (PhOpenIX) switching fabric.

The PhoPenIX was launched last 24 January 2007, and the DOST-ASTI has established, been managing and operating it since then. DOST-ASTI Acting Director Dr. Joel Joseph Marciano, Jr, in his speech, shared that the Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) of DOST has designated PhOpenIX as the official government internet protocol (IP) exchange, and its successor, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has given its full support to the growth of PhOpenIX.

Dr. Marciano also gave a robust explanation of how the IX works. He then proceeded to talk about the locally-exchanging [network] traffic, the government network monthly usage, and how [much] the country saves for the network infrastructure alone.

“For 12 years, ASTI has played a critical role in nation building by helping manage a key internet infrastructure that helps in making sure that local internet traffic remains local,” he added.

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The PhOpenIX is the first open and carrier‑neutral Internet Exchange in the Philippines that allows the exchanges of Internet traffic in a free-market environment among local Internet and data service providers. It is a platform to keep domestic Internet traffic local, contributing to reduced transit cost and improved quality of service for end users.

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